GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A few months ago, Xavier Tillman, Sr. was responsible for guarding LeBron James in the NBA Playoffs.
However th, s week, his sole focus was giving back to his hometown.
For the third straight year, the Grand Rapids Christian graduate held his Tillman Elite Youth Basketball camp at MSA Woodland.
The former Spartan has been offering many of the kids tips and tricks with drills, and has even hopped in from time to time to lend a helping hand.
This past season was Tillman's best in his three-year career with the Memphis Grizzlies. The 24-year-old averaged a career-high 7.0 points per game to go along with a 61.4 field goal percentage.
The NBA player is making a difference in these kids lives, but they are also leaving an impact on him.
"It feels really good, to be honest with you," Tillman Sr. said. "Just always getting an opportunity to come back home and see the next group of kids coming up and see who loves the game and who is talented and try to find the mix. I love it for sure. The growth has been really well especially with the kids I have had from my first year up until now. I've seen them growing up. I have seen the kids working on their game. I see the kids that just want to come and say, 'Hi.' It's all cool for sure."
The final day of Tillman's camp is on this Thursday. He's held two sessions each day this week.
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